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The Global Ledger

Who were Deborah and Shlomi? Daughter and son-in-law of Brandeis University professor killed by Hamas in Israel

Author

Andrew Henderson

Updated on February 02, 2026

An Israeli studies teacher stood up to FOX News after his girl and child in-regulation were killed by Palestinian Hamas aggressors
Ilan Troen has instructed at Brandeis College and the College of Missouri
Deborah was on the telephone with her dad when she was killed, yet his grandson in the home made due

Ilan Troen, a teacher of Israeli Studies, as of late imparted his nerve racking experience to FOX News after his girl and child in-regulation succumbed to Palestinian Hamas aggressors in a purposeful assault on Israeli regular folks. Troen, who has educated at lofty establishments like Brandeis College and the College of Missouri, stressed the differentiation between the continuous clash and a customary “war,” taking into account the effect on his family and endless others in Israel.

Who are Deborah and Shlomi?

The misfortune struck near and dear when Troen’s little girl, Deborah, and her significant other, Shlomi, blockaded themselves in their home, found roughly 25 miles from the Gaza line. They made this move in the wake of hearing Arabic being yelled outside in the midst of gunfire. Deborah was on the telephone with her dad when she unfortunately lost her life, yet her child in the house figured out how to get by.

The U.S. citizens Deborah and Shlomi Matias were killed in Saturday’s Hamas attack against Israel.

Their 16-year-old son Rotem was covered by his mother’s body and survived the attack despite suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach.

He was rescued 12 hours later

🇺🇸🇮🇱

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 10, 2023


Troen underscored the weightiness of the circumstance, expressing that not a contention can be effectively settled. The powers at play are profound and obsessive, and the assaults were fastidiously arranged over months. Many had expected an assault from the Iran-upheld Hamas fear bunch, knowledgeable in prisoner taking strategies. Troen highlighted the 1979 Iranian prisoner emergency at the U.S. consulate in Tehran, enduring 444 days, to act as an illustration of this experience.

Discussing life in the Negev Desert, Troen depicted how they had a telephone application to caution them of approaching rocket fire. Upon the arrival of the assault, Deborah called him promptly in the first part of the day to illuminate him regarding the heightening risk. She revealed hearing glass breaking and Arabic being spoken in the area, alongside gunfire, before the correspondence was unfortunately stopped.

Troen point by point the terrible situation that developed as his grandson and child in-regulation looked for shelter in the house’s protected room. They endeavored to protect the entryway with furniture, just to have it blown open by Hamas assailants utilizing explosives. This unmistakably represents the aggressors’ goal to hurt regular citizens as opposed to take part in customary fighting. Troen stood out this from Israel and the US’s obligation to limiting regular citizen losses in their tactical activities.

Following the heartbreaking loss of his little girl and child in-regulation, Troen kept in touch with his grandson all through the last’s bondage, with instant messages and calls giving direction on tending to his injuries. The grandson was eventually delivered by the Israeli Guard Powers after an exhausting difficulty. Troen made sense of that Deborah and Shlomi’s fearless activities safeguarded him from the brunt of the assault, leaving him with a solitary projectile injury to his midsection.

Troen likewise underscored that while Hamas’ activities are unpardonable, they don’t address all Muslims or Middle Easterners in the district. He brought up the tranquil connections Israel has with adjoining countries like Jordan and Egypt, featuring the potential for conjunction and strategy even in the midst of continuous contentions in the area.